Beware the Side Effects of the Right Hand

My knee has taken on a clicking noise. Kind of like castanets, but not nearly as nice. It's one of the many signs that my body is not as resilient as it used to be. In other words, my flesh is slowly failing. I know that it will only become more apparent as I age.

And some days, my heart fails me too. Sometimes I am filled with doubts about God. Sometimes I struggle with anxious thoughts, sorrow, confusion and inconsistency. Life gives my soul an occasional beating.

Have I depressed you yet? Good. Because what I really want to talk about is JOY.

Joy in pajamas, circa 1983

Lucky for me, JOY has nothing to do with what is happening to my body or heart. It's not something I can attain for myself at all, and I have to say, you can't attain it either. It only comes one way.

(And to clear up any confusion, JOY is not about feeling happy.  JOY means peaceful, hope-filled, inner contentedness that stays with you regardless of what is happening in your life. It is much bigger and better than happiness.)

JOY is a side effect.

JOY is inevitable when you really begin to understand the state of things. Come, take a mental walk with me.

We live in a messy world.  Within ourselves we are a messy mix of good and bad motives with the consequent inconsistent behavior. Our good-will is circumstantial, and we cannot be good enough for heaven.
What does "good enough" even mean? By whose standard is that judged? Scary to think that each individual would determine it. What if your neighbor's version of "good enough" included robbing your house? No, we can't be so relative about it. We are biased, unfit judges.

No, there is a standard outside of us, and that standard is perfection. Heaven is a perfect place and only perfection is allowable there. Met any perfect people lately? Me neither. All that is wrong in us sticks like unscrubbable dirt. We cannot make ourselves clean, no matter how much good we do. Our presence in heaven would be like a stain on white cloth. So we are a bit stuck, or at least we would be but for this beautiful truth. Here is the beginning of JOY.

God loves us and wants us close to him. He has made a way. He does the cleaning. He does for us what we cannot do.

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my life and my portion forever." Psalm 73:26

"He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him." Isaiah 59:16 

"Now I know the Lord saves his anointed; He answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand." Psalm 20:6 

It is the saving power of his right hand, his arm. The "right hand" is used in the Bible to mean authority, power, strength. How did he use this for our benefit? How does his right hand save us?

Isaiah tells us:

"Who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"

"Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed."53:1, 4-5

In other words, His "right hand" suffered the consequences for us, in our place, to make heaven available to us. He came as a man, Jesus Christ, to take away the sins of the world. We are saved by the power of his sacrifice. As Jesus was being condemned to die for us, they demanded, "Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God." And he replied:

"Yes, it is as you say. But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." Matthew 26: 64

This is where the JOY really takes hold. After he ascended into heaven, Stephen, Peter, Paul and John all talk about his being there, seated at the right hand of God.

For example, Paul tells us in Romans that Jesus is at the right hand of God interceeding (pleading) for us (8:34). It is what he promised to do seven hundred years prior in Isaiah, where it is written that he made intercession for the transgressors and bore their sin (53:12). Stephen, as he was being stoned to death, saw a vision of Jesus at the right hand, and it filled him with such peace that he asked Jesus to forgive those who were killing him (Acts 7:55-59).

I think Stephen felt peace because he knew that Jesus was for him, mediating for him, bearing the brunt of any wrong that he had committed in his lifetime.  In the face of death, he didn't have to worry, because in Jesus, Stephen was made perfect. Stephen could be with God because Jesus had stepped in to save him.

That is a cause for deep JOY. If we only accept his sacrifice for us, Jesus makes us fit for heaven, fit to live forever in the presence of God. He, the right arm of God, has made us clean. Through Jesus, it is possible to be close to this perfect, loving, creator God. It is possible to really know him and talk to him, to enjoy Him. JOY! And heaven is all about enjoying God. (This is a brilliant gift- but I'm afraid if you don't want this, you probably don't want to go to heaven either.)

What on earth can steal this JOY from you? Nothing. No bad thing you do can override your perfection in Christ Jesus. No bad thing can separate you from His loving presence. No loss or need can make your place in heaven less secure. JOY!  You have the love of God to bolster you in any misery, and his promise to turn all things to good for you. JOY! You have been given life forever with a perfect and beautiful God- no earthly happiness can come close. JOY!

JOY is a side effect of being close to God through Jesus Christ. Ingrain this in your heart and mind. Do not forget it. It is a deep treasure of your life.

"You have made known to me the path of life, you will fill me with JOY in your presence, with eternal pleasures at YOUR RIGHT HAND." Psalm 16:11

"Do not fear for I am with you. Do not anxiously look about you, for I AM your God. I will help you, surely I will strengthen, surely I will uphold you with MY RIGHTEOUS RIGHT HAND." Isaiah 41:10